Missing you
by olitzalltheway
Summary: Missing you. Where did it all go wrong when she did not get on the plane that would had brought her to him? #Olitz
1. Hi

Vermont:

If there was one thing Fitz knew better than anything else in his life, it was his love for Olivia. Yet here he was, alone at the airport, waiting for her and she never showed. Obviously she had moved on...with Jake of all people. He just didn't understand what she saw in him. He looked around him one more time, before he accepted the truth. She didn't love him. She didn't want him. He was not man enough, a failure; like his father had always told him he was. His shoulders drooped, he had a scowl on his face and he walked away from the airport, to his truck in the parking lot. He was a defeated man, who had no more hope. No more dreams. No more energy. He drove of, the snow softly starting to fall, the wind picking up.

Washington D.C. :

She still couldn't believe that he never called her , never send her an email or a text. He had just upt and left and it was like she had never mattered to him. She raked her brain , thinking of what it might have been that had made him leave her. She was no saint, but she was trying to do it all and she thought he had excepted that, encouraged it . Well little did she know. He had just left her and honestly, it hurt. She was more hurt this time than any other time before, because she thought they had made a start into finally getting it right . At finally being ready to love each other , fully committed.

She decided to play it cool. She was going to concentrate fully on her work and let him sit and simmer, so he would realize what he was missing.

4 weeks earlier :

Olivia was in a meeting with Jake and Cyrus, when her cellphone rang. Glancing at the screen she saw it was Fitz. A smile broke out on her face and she hurriedly answered, while holding up her free hand to silent the men in her office.

"Hi", she breathed into the cellphone. Jake looked disgusted, if she said that it could only mean that _he_ was calling her. To all others she always answered with "what". But lately he had heard him call her about every damned day and she had started answering him with :"Hi".

Olivia was unaware of Jake's mood swing. She was far to happy to hear Fitz on her phone, telling her he could get away for a week, would she like some company there in DC? She happily told him that yes, she would love the company. "I will even pick you up from the airport, just tell me when". When he told her he loved her , she quitely proclaimed to love him too. Ever since she had kissed him in front of the camera's she had been more open and giving in her affection for him. They where in a good place right now, even though it was already a month ago that he had been the outgoing president, since they had seen each other.

Both where excited and happy to soon be back in each others arms. She resumed her meeting with Cyrus and Jake, unaware that Jake was plotting the end to her and her boyfriends relationship once and for all.


	2. Let's make it 15

Taking one last look in the mirror, she nodded her head with a smile. She looked good, she was ready to pick him up from the airport. She was excited and a little nervous. It had been a long month apart, especially knowing that he was now living in their house. A house she loved, but wasn't ready for just yet. Still out to concour the world. In no time she found herself on the tarmac, having gotten a special permit to park where he would land. Working for the current president and picking up the former president did come with perks. It was only a short wait before his plane taxied in and before she knew it, the ramp got lowered. She got out of the car and waited anxiously. The minute he walked down the tarmac , the minute his eyes found her and held her gaze, all her nerves disappeared, replaced by a feeling of belonging. He hurried down the steps and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her a little of the ground. She gave a happy squeal and found his face with her hands and kissed him. O how she kissed him. And he was kissing her right back and all was good in this world.

"Livvie", he grinned when they came up for air. His smile was brilliant. "Kiss me", she demanded and he gladly obliged. He let her back on her feet, on the ground, so he could let his hands roam her body. They found her ass and he pulled her into him. He was rewarded with her groan while kissing her freely. his secret service agent Daniel, just one now that he was the former president, cleared his troat. "I realize its great to see Ms Pope again, Fitz, but we should get of this tarmac before air control gets nervous". Fitz let out a laugh :"Than you better drive, Daniel, I'm not ready to let go of her just yet."

Olivia blushed but she didn't interrupt like she normally would have. Because she had missed him too and was still holding on tight, her arms now tightly around his waist. He kissed her neck and walked them to her car, getting in the backseat with her. He pulled her on his lap and had to restrain himself. He knew she would never agree to giving Daniel a free show through the driver's mirror. So he settled for "just" kissing her and holding her for the short ride to her apartment.

Her heart was beating wildly , she felt like she could not wait the few more minutes it would take to walk to the elevator and to get to her floor, her apartment. Somehow they made it, while she tossed Daniel her key to the apartment across her floor. "That's where you are staying this week...we need my place to ourselves".

Daniel grinned :"Try not to be too loud, i would like to get some sleep during this trip ... goodnight Fitz, Goodnight Ms Pope".

"Goodnight!", they both blurted out while stumbling into her apartment and quickly closing the door. Kisses and hands roaming and clothing coming off. They never made it to her bedroom that night, the couch was the first obstacle in their way and suited them just fine. Making love into the early morning, before falling asleep for a few hours.

She woke and heard him murmor in her ear, soft kisses planted along her neck :"Livvie baby, if you plan to make it into work today, i think it's time to get up". She yawned :"What time is it ?" "It's 830", was his response. She reluctantly sat up, taking him with her :"I do have to get up, i have a meeting at 9 with Mellie". She gave him a sweet kiss and got up, walking to the bathroom. He followed smiling at her :"Late for the presidents meeting, my my Ms Pope, what will your excuse be ?" She was still naked and stepped right into the shower and flashed him her smile :"For that comment _you_ get to call her and explain why I'm late ". She heard his laughter while she turned on the shower.

He indeed made the call, calling Mellie directly and telling her that Olivia was going to be half n hour late, or make that one hour late ". Mellie sighted deeply :"Fitzgerald Grant, you walk away from her so she can make the meeting only half n hour late". He retorted :"Is that a presidential order Mellie? See you at 10.30"

He hang up the phone and walked into the shower , the steam already filling up the bathroom quickly. He grinned at the beautiful woman in front of him who looked a little annoyed, but who also started kissing his chest. "We got half n hour ", he kissed her neck and pulled her close. "Hurry" she said, giving in to their feelings, "Let's make it fifteen".

They walked into Mellie's oval at 10 am on the dot.

Mellie had an annoyed look on her face, looking at the two people sitting across from her on the couch. His hand, ofcourse, on Olivia's tigh. Surprisingly enough Olivia's hand on top of his, caressing his fingers, while telling Mellie how her meeting had gone the day before with a few wayward senators who where supposed to back her equility bill , but had been withholding. She gave Mellie some talking points and told her she had made Mellie an apointment for 1 o clock today with both Senators, Cyrus and Jake, to get them on board. Olivia gave her excellent advise and Mellie let go of her annoyance. She would be lost without Olivia advising her and well...Fitz was just never too far away from her...if there was one thing she had learned over the years ,it was the fact that Fitz would always show up at Olivia's side, whenever he could.


	3. Under one condition

Fitz joined Olivia in her office after the meeting with Mellie. She asked him to go over her equility bill proposal. He was proud to reconize an extension to ideas he had started during his last year in office. He turned out to be a great asset to her plans and he was having fun helping her out with some issues on the bill. He liked the advisor role, no more pressure on his shoulders. They worked well together, like they always had in the past as well. They complimented each other.

Around 12 o clock they got interrupted by Jake.

" Olivia, i brought you a salad, let's...O, Fitz, what are you doing here?", he asked miffed. Fitz stood up and hugged his old friend, while relishing the fact that he got to say :" I'm spending the week with my girlfriend ". Jake looked from one to the other. Olivia gave Fitz a kind look : "Get back here, boyfriend, what do you think of this paragraph?" Jake was petulant : " You let him read the bill?! He has no clearance!"

Olivia just shot him a look: "Really Jake ? Really?" He realized how stupid that sounded about the former president, only a month removed. He had no choice but to join in their laughter and he had to watch how Olivia walked up to Fitz, giving him the papers while planting a tender kiss on his lips.

Jake was fuming inside, he swallowed his bitterness by thinking of the plan he had in place to brake them up. Now that Fitz had made it back to D.C. it looked like it was time to put it in motion. The first plan of action was to act happy about the couple, so he sounded sincere when he said to Fitz, that he was glad to see him back in the White House. Glad to have Olivia happy and in love while he was around.

It worked, both grinned like little teenagers at the compliment.

Jake's goal was to stay close to them and interrupt when he would get the chance. Knowing how they always had insecurity and their own flaws to overcome, he was sure an opportunity would arise in time. He was going to stick close, be the best friend to both, and when he got her away from Fitz , he would be the guy to catch her and win her back.

To his utter frustration nothing was happening. Nothing but _them_ getting closer to each other and understanding each other. No more stress of being the president made both of them feel more at ease. A week was not enough, Fitz ended up staying two weeks before he went back to Vermont. Only to come back a few days later for a weekend. It seemed like they couldn't stay away from each other. It was that weekend that Fitz asked her how she would feel if he would move back to Washington, if he would stay with her.

"Moving in ?", she asked with a racing heart. His smile was sincere :" Yes, moving in...i don't like being away from you, Liv".

She nodded her head :"Ok, i can do that, i can have you move in with me...under one condition... you have to cook or it's popcorn every night ". His throaty laugh was followed by a kiss sealing the deal.

He left Marcus in charge of the Vermont division, while he set up her spare bedroom as his office. Daniel was fine with staying in the apartment across the hall.

For the first time in Olivia's life, she felt like she had figured things out. She had a good job, associates who ran OPA for her, a loving life in boyfriend, good friends. She looked forward to going to work to improve things. But she also could not wait to end her workdays to go home to Fitz. Added perk was that he indeed cooked for them ; he was a surprisingly good cook.

Add the closeness, the making love, the trust building between them.

She had the world at her fingertips.


	4. I love you

Another week flew by.

For almost a month now, they had been inseparable outside of work. And with his vast experience, some of work overlapped as well. And it was going well. Fitz was happy in his life, truly happy. He had beautiful kids, he had a woman he worshipped , a job that was less stressful than the presidency and good friends. He liked bonding with Jake again, the former navy friends and sometimes rivals had burried the hatchet and it was now nice to have his buddy back. Who was happy that he and Olivia where finally making a go at it . He noticed no jealously. Neither did she. They where too happy in their reunion to pay close attention to others around them.

It was a rare morning off for both of them, they made efforts to work less hours. Fitz was asleep, and Olivia was watching him while she was lying next to him under the covers. She pulled the covers away and started rubbing his back and shoulders in a gentle massage. He gave a contented groan :"Mmm, hi baby". She smiled and kissed him between his shoulder blades before continuing the massage. She took her time, enjoying the feel of his muscles under her hands and fingertips. She realized he was still a little sleepy since he let her massage him quit awhile before turning over ; Pulling her on top of him and kissing her lazily. When she responded to his kiss she felt him harden between them. He rolled them over and returned the favor of massaging her, before both lost their patience and started making love to each other. They where slow and unhurried. Kind, gentle and caring. She looked him in the eyes when she came, he followed soon after and she saw nothing but love reflected back at her. "I love you", she kissed his lips. He stroked her face :"I love you too". His smile always made her melt, made her never want to let go of him. She kissed him deeply and in no time they where going for round two.

It was later on that they made plans to spend the weekend in bed, it was Friday today. "I can't think of a better way to spend the weekend making love to you", he proclaimed. She smiled at his romantic side, but deep down she loved it. And he knew that about her. He was always who chipped away at the rough edges surrounding her: to reveal the kind, gentle side of her. The side who loved him immensely.

When she was ready to leave to go to work, she gave him a quick kiss, on his forehead only. Like she was going to kiss him every day for the rest of her life.

Little did they know that that was the last kiss to come. That it was the last time they would be together. Their lives wjere aboht to get torn apart.


	5. Over

Fitz got called in to head back to Vermont for an emergency. He tried calling Olivia to tell her what was going on , only to realize she left her cellphone by accident when it rang in the apartment. Instead of leaving her a message at work, he decided to surprise her with a plane ticket, so she could fly out to Vermont to see him as soon as his business got cleared up .

He also left her a little note explaining why he had to leave so soon and that he loved her.

It was 3 pm when Jake made his weekly trip to Olivia's apartment. He found the coast clear and he helped himself into her apartment ; unknown to her he had the key to open the door. He did his usual round about to try find anything to use to win her back. Having been unable to find anything usefull for a long time now, he was pleasantly suprised when he found the note Fitz had left her.

Livvie,

Marcus had an emergency come up in Vermont, i have to fly out to try fix some mistakes made before next weeks meetings.

I'm sorry i got to brake my promise to you to make love to you all weekend long.

(You know i want to!)

I bought you a ticket to come to me instead. Hopefully we can squeeze in some alone time in our house.

I love you, hurry ok?

Btw you left your phone in bed.

I put it on the charger for you.

Love, Fitz

Jake scrambled around looking for her charger and found it in the bedroom. Her phone was indeed there. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He grabbed it and put a chip in the phone that would intercept all calls and text from and to Fitz.

It would look like it was working normal on both ends, but text messages and voicemails would go to Jake's phone instead. He wasn't done yet, he had always been good at immitating handwriting.

He immitated the handwriting of Fitz and made her a new note.

Livvie,

I'm sorry.

I can't do this anymore.

Good luck in the White House and your life.

Love, Fitz

He replaced it with the real note and he also removed the plane ticket. He than grabbed his handy bag and collected all the clothes and items that belonged to Fitz and removed those too. He made quick progress and in no time he walked out of her apartment and disappeared.

It had been a longer day than expected. Olivia was glad to be home. Tired, hungry and she just wanted her man to draw her a bath and spoil her. Something he was very good at. She walked into the apartment:"Fitz, baby, I'm home". When she didn't hear a response she thought that mabye he had fallen asleep waiting for her. She was heading for her besroom, when she noticed a note on her side table.

With a smile she picked it up. She read it...her keys fell out of her hand. She felt like her heart stopped, a physical pain on her chest, than angst grabbing a hold of her body. Tears sprung to her eyes and she furiously whiped them away.

She started looking for her cellphone and found it in the bedroom. She dialed his number, only to get his voicemail. She hang up and dailed again. Her anger and hurt getting worse. When it again went to voicemail she started talking :

"Fitz, what happened? What on earth happened ?Where are you ? Call me back !"

She called him 3 more times over the next few hours. Everything went straight to voicemail and he never returned her calls.

Together with a bottle of wine and crying she ended up falling in a restless sleep.

The next morning, when he again didn't answer her call she was was just sad and heartbroken. Why didn't he want her anymore? What could she have done to make him leave her , her Fitz? B613 was on her mind, mabye he found out about that? But she still didn't think that would be enough for him to leave her. She decided to give him some space, currently she was too mad to talk to him anyway.

Jake visited her that day in her office. When he asked her why she was so cranky today, she told him the truth. Fitz had left her without explanation. Jake hugged her tightly and she hid her face against his chest for a second...not knowing that he took a quick selfie of them.

When he tried to give her a kiss she pulled away quickly...:"Jake, no". He put up his hands : "Sorry, my bad".

She told him to leave her alone and he did as she requested. He had a picture to send to Fitz, acting like it came from Olivia. He wrote a text with it :

Fitz,

I still love Jake.

I hope you find happiness.

Liv.

He was almost giddy when he send it. He had 10 missed calls , 3 voicemails and 5 text messages so far from Fitz to Olivia. This would get it shut down.

Shut down it did.

The calls and text and voicemails all abrubtly stopped.


	6. Hopeless

Pride and anger and a lot of hurt stopped her from reaching out to him. Some days she had to force herself to go to work, not grab a plane and go find him. She knew through Mellie and the news that he was back in Vermont. She let time go by, the longer she waited, the more it hurt. There where too many nights where she cried herself to sleep. She had long closed B613. She had blocked herself of from her friends and only left her home for work. When 3 months had past she left him a voicemail once a week. Telling him she missed him, to please return her call. But ofcourse he never got the calls. They went to Jake's phone instead.

Fitz never called her. He was still in love with her, but terribly hurt that she was back with Jake, or so he believed. He thought that Jake was the love of her life. Not knowing that she only saw him for work, and limited at that.

One day after she got his voicemail yet again, she was so frustrated that she threw her phone against the wall. The screen cracked and her phone no longer worked. Huck got her a new phone that same day.

Fitz was working from home today. He had been sad and frustrated and became somewhat of a hermit. He barely tolerated being around people. The only ones who he was friendly to where his kids, agents and Lynsey, who came by twice a week. Lynsey was a local single mom making ends meet for her son and herself. She was only 22 and Fitz privatly paid her college. She earned some money by cleaning twice a week in the Vermont home. She was bubbly, sweet and she had become friends with his daughter Karen. She always walked in cheerful and he felt a bit like a father figure to the girl. The phone rang and he answered it with a sigh. Every time he saw his phone he was reminded of _her, Olivia._

When she made her weekly call she expected it to go to voicemail as always. But this time he answered. He didn't say "Hi". He responded short and roughly : "Fitzgerald Grant ".

She almost dropped the phone from the shock of hearing him answer. She was speechless.

"Hello, who is this", he sounded aggrevated.

She swallowed her pride and said : "It's me ".

He was stunned. She had not returned his calls or anything. It had been five long months and now she was on the phone? What was she doing to him? She had shattered his heart, his dreams. Worse, he thought they had been doing so well when she had chosen Jake instead, when she had send that picture and a text instead of meeting him at least face to face.

"Liv", he managed to bring forth. He thought he heard tears in her voice when she responded with : I...i miss you so much...can we...can i see you, Fitz?"

He was stunned into silence. His heart was racing and his palms where sweaty.

"Please baby, please", he heard her say.

He was so conflicted. He wanted her as much as always, but he just couldn't do it anymore. But his heart wanted him to say yes. His brain told him no. Lynsey walked into the house : " Hi, I'm here !".

Liv heard the interuption, a women's voice. She was upset and scared and her worst fears got confirmed when she heard him :

"Hi Lyns, I'm on the phone, give me a minute, ok?"

"Sure", she heard her agree before she heard Fitz clear his troat.

"Eh Liv, I'm sorry, i have moved on. I got to go now...goodbye."

And the line went dead. Olivia felt like she was dying herself. The pain she felt before was nothing compared to knowing that he had fully let her go. He truly was done with her. The little bit of hope that she had held onto was now gone. Instead she felt lonely, afraid, pain and utter despair ; hopeless. She crumbled to the ground, no longer any strenght to stand up straight. She wept for hours on the ground, right in her living room. When morning came she moved like she was in a trance. She collected some clothes before she called Huck . He brought her to the airport and gave her a new identity. Carolyn Vermont was now her name. She disappeared into the world with not a trace to be found.


	7. Is she ?

edit : thank you for pointing out that Teddy is not a high shool kid yet .

I wrote these chapters fast without mutch thought yesterday, i edited it to not read high school .

Her first stop was Australia. She went with her natural hair, short, and jeans or shorts with t-shirts or sweaters. Her only jewellery was his ring. She couldn't get herself to take Doux Bebe off. She traveled in an old camper and kept to herself wherever she went. She did not follow the tourist paths. She went off the grid wherever she could, only resurfacing when she really had to restock the camper. She travelled around in a daze.

Next up she went to yet another continent.She went to Africa and travelled by bus, train, donkey, by foot. She had no idea left of what was going on in the world, no idea left of what day or what date it was. She didn't eat much and lost a little too much weight. Her heart was beating, but it never felt like her own. It's rhythm unrecognizable. Her body was always painful, she tried to get herself tired every day, she walked many miles. Over different terrain. She always welcomed muscle aches, to distract her from the pain of living without _him._ She never stayed in one area for more than a day or 3. Mostly only a day before moving on.

He had quit his work, gave it over to Marcus. He moved closer to Karen who now held a job in San Francisco at a law firm. Teddy was living with him, happy being a public shool kid. They where his only joy in life. He rarely left his home. He had dropped all of his friends. The only person who he talked to once a month was Huck. He always asked if she had reached out. The answer was always no. And they never talked for long. Huck never having been a man of many words and Fitz now appreciated that more than anything.

Even though Huck now lived in San Francisco too , they never met up. Huck had only told him once that he felt closer to Liv when he was near Fitz. It made sense to Fitz. He felt the same way. He had not set foot in _their home_ in Vermont for a whole year now, having left that place that now felt suffocating since that last fated phone call. His hair had gone fully grey in only a months time. He still had trouble reconizing the man he saw in the mirror when he shaved each morning. He looked tired, defeated, lonesome, heartbroken. A shell of who he used to be.

Every month he hoped that Huck could tell him she was on her way back. But even Huck did not know where she was. He had promised her to never look and Huck had always done as she had asked.

If only he had swallowed his pride. If only he had took her back. He didn't know what the whole story was with Jake but it didn't add up. Huck had told him she had absolutely not been with Jake. She had never told him what had happend between her and Fitz or Jake. But he guaranteed Fitz that she had never loved Jake. Olivia Carolyn Pope had only loved one man in her life. Fitzgerald Grant the third.

Huck thought that Olivia's journey was a good one to have. She needed to deal with herself. She had been through so much with her bad parents, kidnapping, bad guys, formerly married president love of her life...he thought this was good. She needed time to heal her heart and soul.

Poor Huck didn't realize that Olivia was not like him. She had left for a broken heart, not to heal. She had left because she herself no longer existed. In a small way it did have a good effect on her though. All the traveling and walking and thinking it did heal her mind ; the only thing that would not heal was her broken heart no matter how much she wanted it to.

She was crossing a street in Kenya when she got intercepted by a drunk driver.

And for the first time in a year and a half her brain gave her what she had craved. An end to her heartache. Her world went black.

He would never forget the time. It was 7.52 am when his cellphone rang with an unknown number. He answered hesitantly with an "Hello, who is this?"

He heard a stranger telling him : "This is nurse Johanna Klein from Kenya Holy Hospital. You are listed as the emergency contact for our patient Carolyn Vermont. There has been an accident and she is severely injured. She is in a coma amongst other injuries. We don't know if she will make it through the next 48 hours. I'm sorry sir. ".

The cup of coffee in his free hand had long shattered to the floor. He managed to ask for the adress and phone number and the second he hung up he called Huck : "We need to go to Kenya, we need to be there yesterday...she might be dying, Huck". He broke down in sobs , he just heard Huck tell him he would have him picked up in 15 minutes and that he would meet him at the airport.

Everything else went by in a daze for him.

It was 42 hours later that he set foot in the hospital , Huck acting as his security detail and doing the talking. Fitz was so shut down, so scared that the words froze in his mouth. Huck asked the dreaded question : " Is she still alive? Are we in time?"


	8. Right beside you

**Thank you for the comments on this story.** **Don't worry, Joke will get his "justice" in the end. One explanation: Huck didn't not know what had gone on with Fitz and Oliva and Joke. He only knew that she had wanted to go away under another identity. He talks with Fitz but they never went into details so he does not know he might have been able to help figure things out. Let's see what happens next.**

"Is she still alive ? Are we in time?", Fitz heard Huck ask. He felt the man's arm around his back. He wasn't sure if he was holding on to him or if he was helping him stay up. The doctor nodded his head : " She is still alive, she is a fighter. But i do have to warn you, we are not sure if she will wake up. Her injuries are extensive and she is still at risk. I do not want to give you false hope. You should prepare yourself to say goodbye...but she is a fighter, she is still alive and that's very good. Let's see if she makes it another 24 hours to gain more strength." Fitz was dizzy. He was now definitely holding on to Huck to stay on his feet. The doctor reached out to him : " Are you okay, Mr...?" Fitz nodded his head : I'm ok, thank you, i'm Mr Grant". He saw the moment realization hit . The doctor reconized him : "Mr president...please don't hesitate to ask for me if you have any other questions. Me and my team will ofcourse stay here for the next foreseeable future." Fitz thanked him with a small smile : " Thank you doctor, i would appreciate it if you keep things quiet. People don't know that i am here and i would like to keep it that way...lets just concentrate on Liv...Olivia Carolyn Pope. Can we see her ,please?" The doctor told him that yes they could see her, they would keep her checked in as Carolyn Vermont. To please follow him. The doctor walked them to an intensive care unit. Huck nodded at Fitz to go ahead, he wanted to do some research on the hospital and doctors. He wanted to make sure that Olivia had the best doctor available. Fitz took a deep breath and went into the room. He stood frozen by the glass door. She looked smaller than he remembered. She was very thin and machines where hooked up everywhere. He reconized a breathing tube amongst a heart monitor. She had had brain surgery to relieve swelling. She had a fractured leg, a broken arm. She had suffered a collapsed long and she had flatlined on the table during surgery. Twice. She had cuts and scrapes everywhere. Her face was bloated and in a neck brace. Tears where falling down his eyes. He grabbed a chair and sat close to her bed. The doctor told him it was safe to hold her hand, that he should talk to her. He was soon left alone with her. He didn't dare touch her at first. His heart was hurting for her. She looked small, weak and obviously badly injured. He sat there for the longest time crying silent tears. A nurse checked her every twenty minutes and she smiled at him. Every time she finished her check up she looked him in the eyes and simply said : "She's holding on, sir". It took untill the evening hours before he touched her hand. Very carefully and gently. He felt a spark of heat through his own hand, like he always did. Never had he touched her and not felt that instant connection to her. "O, Livvie...Livvie baby", he proclaimed softly through his tears. He held her hand and he reconized his ring still on her hand. They had left it on during the surgeries to repair her broken body. He stared at the ring. Stroked her hand. Emotions went into overdrive through his head. She was still wearing his ring. After all this time it was still there. She must still care for him. He had been the only emergency contact listed on her i.d. card. He had been such a fool. He had wasted so much time. He looked at her swollen face and he told her the truth : " Livvie, if you can hear me, i need you to fight. You need you to stay alive. I need you to tell me what a fool I've been."

The only response he got was the soft beeps of her monitors doing their job. She lay as frozen in the bed. But she was alive. She was still alive.

The nurses took pitty on him . He had made it clear that he would not leave her side when they tried to get him to rest after sitting at her bedside for hours on end. They moved a small stretch bed into her room and placed it on the side of the clear wall, out of the way. He thanked them. Huck had come in for a short while ; informing Fitz that Olivia was lucky, this hospital was one of the best and she was under the care of a great neuro surgeon, one of the best in his field. He had asked the doctor to get the best doctors for all of her injuries and the doctor was flying in 2 more doctors to assess Olivia's injuries and recovery for tomorrow morning. She was in excellent hands. He had brought Fitz some soup and some bread and told him to call him as needed. He would come back in the morning. Other than the occasional nurses check up and the doctors check up every hour he was alone with her. He bend his face to her hand and kissed her hand. It was bittersweet when he felt his lips touch her skin. : " I love you Livvie...rest and get well. I'm going to be right beside you ". He layed down on the stretcher and exhaustion claimed him into a deep sleep.


	9. It's time

_**Bare with me. I am no doctor or nurse and just made up her injuries and recovery expectations. No idea if it would be realistic or not. Just go** **with the flow ;)**_ She made it through the night. Fitz woke up early and went back to her bed side. He kissed her hand and he gave her a sad smile. She looked terrible but she was still fighting, she was still alive : "Goodmorning Liv, i see you are still a gladiator. Keep fighting, baby". He waited for the nurse to do her check up, it didn't take long. It was still the night nurse and she nodded at Fitz : " Goodmorning sir. I'm glad you got some rest. She is holding steady in her vitals. My shift is ending soon, but i will be back this evening for another night shift. Tell her to hold steady, sir". Fitz nodded his head and said a thank you. He squeezed Olivia's hand softly before making his way to a bathroom . He freshend up a little by the sink and hurried back to her room. By the time the doctor came around he was guarded , but slightly more positive than the day before.: " Her vitals are stronger than yesterday. She is not safe yet, but we take any improvement she shows us."

Fitz breathed in deeply, relieve coursing through his veins. He nodded his head : " One day at the time ".

One day at the time she did stabilize more. She was slowely healing. After a few days she was taken off the breathing tube when she started breathing on her own. Her neck brace got removed shortly there after. They hoped that she would come out of her coma soon, but did not know what to expect.

Fitz never left her side. He started talking to her, always touching her. He gently washed her after the nurse told him how. He streched her limps and muscles, those who where not hurt. He kissed her hand many times. But he never kissed her lips. Her hair or forehead, yes. He felt shy about her lips. He was afraid to kiss her there. Her lips were dry, cracked, but that's not what held him back. What held him back was the fear that mabye she wouldn't want him to. It was too intimate for him without her knowledge. He loved and respected her and he just wanted to care for her the best he could. The more days went by, the more concerned the doctors where about her not waking up. They kept telling him that every brain injury was unique, every case had it's own timeline. But they had expected her awake many days ago and still there where no changes in her.

Fitz was rubbing some handlotion on her hands when he spoke to her : "Liv, i know you do everything in your own good time. I know. ...You know i know ", he laughed softly, "But now it's time, okay? Time to open your eyes. Open your eyes , Livvie..."

He watched her and he felt an urgency run through his body. He leaned closer to her face and talked a bit louder this time : "Fight ,Liv. Fight ! Open your eyes. Look -at-me. "

Her eyes stayed closed. Her body motionless. He closed his eyes and thought of the first time he had laid eyes on her, so many years ago. When she told him the truth about the miserable state of his marriage. He thought about their conversation in that hallway when she immediatly realized why he had tried to fire her, when both had felt the electricity course between them, when both had known their lives would never be the same because they had met.

And than he felt it. Her hand was no longer just in his hand, she was gripping his back. She was holding on and she was fighting to come back to him.

" Livvie, Livvie, that's it, that's your hand in mine...NURSE!! ...Livvie, can you open your eyes for me?"

The nurse rushed in the room. She checked Olivia's vitals who where good. He stammered that she was holding his hand. The nurse checked her grib and she agreed. She called the doctor who came by minutes later. He urged Fitz to keep talking to her. And than she opened her eyes.

She woke up from what felt like a dream. She was tired and she felt her body hurt everywhere. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. She panicked and she tried to talk but only a cough came out. Her troat felt like it was on fire. Mabye she was dying? The memory of a car slamming into her flashed in front of her eyes. She recoiled visably. She turned her head a little and her eyes landed on the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Her Fitz.

Oooo, she thought, there is a heaven...She would always see him in her heaven.

But than he spoke: " Welcome back, Livvie". And his voice, his deep voice, broken by tears , brought her into the now . She was alive. And he was here. Here with her. And than he whiped away her tears ,while she vaguely heard the other man, the doctor ; yes he must be her doctor, explain that she had been in an accident and that she was his favorite patient to wake up today. All she could do was look into Fitz's, _her Fitz's_ eyes. And hold his hand like she would never let go. And than she found her voice : " Hi ". It didn't sound like her, but he smiled widly and he responded o so sweet : "Hi".

And both knew that it was somehow okay. They would be okay. Whatever that would mean.


	10. I'm going to love it

She did not remember much of the next few days when she tried to remember it later on. The only constant in her memory was _him._ He was always by her side. They run a bunch of tests on her and at the first try of wheeling her bed away from him, she had protested. The nurse had tried to sooth her, telling her that she would be back in about half an hour. Fitz had nodded his head : " I will wait right here, Liv". But as soon as the nurse wheeled her out of the room she had started shaking and crying and trying to get of the bed, hurt and all. Fitz had caught her in time and steadied her on the bed . He had looked at the nurse and simply told her : " I'm staying with her, every test, everywhere she gets moved to". She had felt herself relax as he gribbed her hand. And nobody had attempted to take her anywhere without him again.

Huck was another she remembered. Fitz had been asleep on the cot in her room and she had found Huck sitting in a chair by her right side. He had tears in his eyes, something she had seldom seen of him before. She had softly smiled at him : "Huck". Huck had looked at her for a long time before he told her : " I'm glad you are not dead ...Liv, why did you go away this time? Fitz says you left him. Is that why ?"

She shook her head : " He left me...that's why i couldn't stay. He blocked me out, never answering my calls...i thought we where well and he just...he hurt me. " Fitz had just woken up and looked confused : "Liv, you told me you...you loved Jake...i still got that text you send me ." She sat up straight in bed, hurting a bit while doing so : "Fitz, i did not. You left me a note remember? _You left me."_ They looked at each other bewildered and confused. Huck looked at Liv : "I got you a new phone and you left soon after...why than?" Liv hid her face in her hands, crying softly : " Fitz finally answered my call and he..he ..." Fitz interrupted her : "Liv, Lynsey is Karen's friend and she does the housekeeping...i never...i was hurt that you left me." Liv looked a little mad at him : "Again, i didn't leave you, stop saying that".

Huck suddenly stood up and walked to Fitz : " Give me your phone, where is the text you saved you say was from Liv ?". Bewildered Fitz gave him his phone and showed him the text. Huck went through the details and through some program and suddenly he looked eerily calm. He stood up and growled : " This time i will kill him. And I'm going to love it ".

And suddenly the man and woman who had been hurt enough realized at the same time who had driven them apart. : "Jake ", they spoke in unison, still in sinc.

Huck nodded : " Jake ". He looked at the couple who where now holding hands and spoke softly : " You too are made for each other and i will make sure that nothing will ever stand between you again...if you need anything, call Abbie, she knows we are here. I will be...busy..." With that he left abrubtly, leaving them alone.

He gently sat down on her bedside and touched her face. She gathered her courage and turned her face to his, looking into his beautiful eyes and whispered : " I love you Fitz. " She saw tears pool in his eyes and barely heard him tell her : " I love you too, Liv. " He leaned toward her, held her face gently in his hands and his lips found hers for a very soft, very careful kiss. Suddenly her injuries and pain seemed a lot easier to take. He held her and kissed her and told her he would never leave her side again. She kissed his neck before she simply said : " I want to marry you...i don't ever want to be away from you again."

He kissed her , this time less gentle ; with much more passion. : " O, Livvie, marriage or not ,you never have to worry again...I'm all yours. I'm always all yours. " She bit his lip and deepend their kiss. When they came up for air, she held his face in her hands, gave him a kiss on his nose, his cheeks before saying : " Unless you want to stay my boyfriend, i will be honored to be Olivia Grant ." The smile he gave her was one of pride and healing : " The honor would be all mine. " She didn't remember much of the first few days, but _that_ memory was ingrained into her brain.

With her fractured leg and one broken arm, she could not walk. She had to stay with her leg elevated for 2 more weeks , before they would take new x-rays to see if she could be released to use a wheelchair at home until healed fully.

Fitz was always with her. They never talked about Jake's hurtful interception again. He simply was not worth to waste time on. They talked about Karen and Teddy, about themselves. About her travels. They talked about favorite memories throughout the years , about when she could fly back home. They did not waste a second thinking off Jake.

Meanwhile Jake was wasting his last breath on a name she no longer chose to wear : "Pope, Olivia Pope. She was never his and never would be. "

Huck smiled and went to work...

I plan a look back at Huck' s enjoyment of revenge in the next chapter. 


	11. Hello Loser

Huck was in his dark place. Feeling invincible and in control. He had readied an abandoned warehouse and he had Jake tied up against the wall. Jake was just starting to wake up from his drug induced blackout. When he was fully awake and cognitive of his predicament, Huck showed himself : "Hello loser", he grinned at Jake with pleasure in his eyes. Jake realized he was in trouble : " O shit, Huck " Huck smiled : " O shit is right...welcome to your last day on earth."

Over 24 hours Huck proceeded to take his frustration out on Jake. He used many tools available to him. Drill, hammer, knife, razor, screwdriver, nails, water, electricity. He took the time to let him recover enough to tell him how pleased he was that Olivia and Fitz where back together. That they knew that he was taking care of Jake's betrayal. He rubbed it in that Olivia had never wanted him, never loved him. It had always been Fitz, always would be and they where now engaged.

By the time Jake took his last breath it was a welcome relieve, the last words he heard where : " Olivia Grant despises you."

Olivia and Fitz arrived at his house just outside of San Fransisco. He pushed her wheelchair through the door and gently lifted her up, placing her on the couch. She was crying and he held her securely, soothing her, murmering endearments. Teddy was not due to arrive untill the next day , so they had a chance to settle in together. Olivia was emotional, tired and in pain. But most of all , very sad about so much time waisted between them. She ended up falling asleep in his arms on the couch. He carried her to their bed and soon joined her to fall asleep as well. They woke early the next morning. She brought up her fear that Karen and Teddy wouldn't adjust to her being back in their lives, being with him. Fitz tried to ease her mind, that Karen already knew and fully supported them. And Teddy was very easy going and still remembered her, he would learn to love her too. He agreed to take it slow, that she was staying with them because of her injuries "for now". When both arrived a few hours later , she realized that she had been upset for nothing. Karen hugged her and told her she was so happy she was back and to never leave again or she would come get her herself. And Teddy thought it was "cool" that daddy was gonna take care of their old friend Liv.

So their next few weeks where spend healing. Physically and emotionally. It took awhile before Huck made a visit. He had taken time to calm himself down after his high. He simply nodded at the pair and said : " It's over ."

Olivia was still getting a lot of help from Fitz , getting around. Today they where headed for another appointment at the hospital to see if she was healed enough to remove her arm cast and to try leaning on her legs again. When they arrived they where dismayed to see paparazzi on stand by , they where already photographed before they realized it. Fitz was mad, but Olivia quickly interupted his thoughts : "Fitz, it's ok, i can take it now. I don't care anymore what anybody else thinks or writes."

The good news was that her cast indeed got removed and she was ready to start her rehabilitation exercises. A therapist came to the house daily. Fitz rarely left her side and helped her where needed. Yet it never felt like hovering. It felt like making up for lost time. She was also still scared to be away from him, but she had a therapist for her emotional handling of issues too. The biggest part of her healing was her spending time with Teddy, who soon had her wrapped around his finger. Her old gladiators all came to visit, even Steven. She was finally letting her friends love her and she was no longer afraid to love Fitz in the open. Having been through so much heartache and pain, she now only wanted to live in the moment and count her blessings. She had been living with Fitz and Teddy for a good 2 months and was walking with a cane now. Teddy had seen her and Fitz kiss more and more lately and he had let it slip several times that he loved having her live in their house. That night when she tucked him into bed, she asked him if it was ok if she would always live with them in the house. Teddy immediately nodded his head :" Like you marrying daddy?" She coloured and than nodded her head : " Yeah, like marrying your daddy and being here...i love you and your dad , you know that right?" Teddy squaled and kissed her, his arms around her neck : " I love you too, Liv, and i love it !" When she told Fitz that evening he was overwhelmed with emotions and just held her a long time, his eyes closed, he couldn't speak or he would cry. She understood and gave him his minute to calm himself. She held his face in her hands and gently kissed him : " Where do you want to get married, Mr President?" He had one answer and his answer made her smile wide : "Vermont."


	12. Vermont

It was the day before Christmas.

The day before her wedding. And she couldn't be happier. She was currently dressed up warmly in the snow covered back yard. Throwing snowballs at Teddy and Fitz, handed to her by his agent and Karen was joining her in ganging up on them. Their laughter and shreeks where free and liberating. She had to be careful to hold her balance without her cane, especially in the snow, but she was holding her ground. When they started getting cold, Karen winked at her and called for Teddy :"Race you to the house, little brother!" They sprinted off.

Fitz came to her and wrapped his arms around her, his frosted breath in the air when he smiled at her : " You look cold, baby. " She smiled at him : " Care to warm me up, mister President? " He kissed her deeply while mumbling between kisses : " Always."

They forgot about everything around them, snow falling onto them in droves and covering them up. It was quit awhile later when Karen yelled from the house : " Dad, Liv, your guests are here, time to get back inside kids!"

Fitz grinned : "When did she become so grown up ? "

Liv shrugged her shoulders at him : " When did she grow up before we did ? " She was rewarded by his loud laughter and he helped her walk towards the house.

Inside were the kids and Huck, Abbie, Quinn, Marcus, Steven, Lauren and Charlotte. They had a pleasant evening with their friends and slept suprisingly good that night. Morning couldn't come quick enough for them both. When they would have their wedding.

Her gladiators where up early and had the yard set up with Chrismas lights and a small clearing in the snow in the shape of a heart. Abbie and Quinn helped her get her make up and hair done. It was an intimate affair and a relaxed atmosphere. Olivia was excited to soon finally get to call him officially hers . She had Huck help her to the ceremony, where she stood across from Fitz and she smiled at him. He smiled back, brightly, and simply said : "Hi, you look so beautiful." She took his hands in hers and kissed him gently. Abbie pipped up : " Liv, you guys are supposed to say~ i do ~ before the kissing part." Laughter rang out and the wedding was started. They said their : "I do ", with pride and conviction, with celebration evident in their voices. And than he got to kiss his bride...he kissed her like he never had before. As her husband.

And all was finally aligned and right and simply _wonderful_ in Olivia Grant's life.

They lived happily ever after ;)


End file.
